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Budget 408w Build? 400m Crank, 360 Rods, Etc..

I was reading in this small block ford book last night and i found where the writer said using a 351w block, 400m crank with the main journals ground to fit the 351w block, chrysler 360 rods with the big end machined to fit the 400m crank you'll get a 408w, i assume using 351w pistons since he didnt mention anything about em. Whuddya think? out local machine shop doesn't have the tools to machine a crank or i actually might consider it

I was reading in this small block ford book last night and i found where the writer said using a 351w block, 400m crank with the main journals ground to fit the 351w block, chrysler 360 rods with the big end machined to fit the 400m crank you'll get a 408w, i assume using 351w pistons since he didnt mention anything about em.

www.propowerperf.com has cheap stroker kits. Check out the June '08 copy of Popular Hot Rodding. The machine work needed for that combo could very easily top the price of a purpose made stroker kit, especially when it comes time to balance it all!

What do you mean 351 rods and 302 pistions =393? Rods do not give you displacement. They move the same amount as the crank. And the pistons are determined by the bore of the block.

As for the 408, I tried to build one when I was younger. I had factory stuff but did not know you were supposed to use 360 slopar rods until this post. In case you are wondering, with the 400 rod, you will have a REALLY short piston. I believe you would even have the second ring (if not the top) into the writ pin.

What do you mean 351 rods and 302 pistions =393? Rods do not give you displacement. They move the same amount as the crank. And the pistons are determined by the bore of the block.

As for the 408, I tried to build one when I was younger. I had factory stuff but did not know you were supposed to use 360 slopar rods until this post. In case you are wondering, with the 400 rod, you will have a REALLY short piston. I believe you would even have the second ring (if not the top) into the writ pin.

Chris

Stroker crank at 5.85" mated with stock 351W rods (5.956") and stock 302 pistons will give you the proper height in the bore and a 389 CI displacement. If I recall correctly, a .030" overbore gives you a 393........ Been a while since I talked about this......
SS

I was reading in this small block ford book last night and i found where the writer said using a 351w block, 400m crank with the main journals ground to fit the 351w block, chrysler 360 rods with the big end machined to fit the 400m crank you'll get a 408w, i assume using 351w pistons since he didnt mention anything about em. Whuddya think? out local machine shop doesn't have the tools to machine a crank or i actually might consider it

Isn't this the second time you said the machine shop was ill equipped? damn they need to get in gear...what is their primary busness.... loggers?

This is just my experience, but I've had alot of things screwed up by machine shops, so I try to keep my business at them to a minimum. On my last engine (a '69 428 CJ), I couldn't get it to idle worth a damn, finally I layed a straight edge across the valve tips only to find that the valves seats were all ground to different heights! The machinist tried telling me it was no big deal that some were more than 1/8" off because I had adjustable rockers! Bottom line, stroker kits are cheap and they're purposely made to work together.

damn, i should check mine with a straight edge.. and yes our local machine shop isn't top of the line, the upside is he can do the basic things and usually get em done the same day, if i need major engine work i'll travel an hour to olympia and drop off my parts, they have better quality and avility to do the work, but they're more expensive and there is a short waiting list..

EDIT: a while back i asked about machining an input shaft down (the longer 94+ one just in case i couldn't find the proper fox length shaft), he said the steel is harder than a file, but even if it was possible his lathe is bent.. he showed me and his lathe wobbled a good 1/4", it was rediculous..it's only purpose was using 2 pointed ends and spin a shaft on them to see if it's out of round, that was great for my main/output shaft on the free T5 i got, it was actually bent..